Also on Wednesday, the Manning-to-Team-X rumor mill got chugging along nicely. It's believed that as many as a dozen NFL teams (12!) have been in contact with Manning's camp, or Manning's agent Tom Condon. However, CBSSports.com's NFL Insider Mike Freeman reported Thursday morning that some folks believe Manning's already narrowed his list. Freeman points to the Dolphins, Redskins and ... Broncos as the short list.

Despite the presence of Tebowmania, the Broncos (1) are absolutely interested in Manning. See: Freeman's report, as well as a report from Mike Klis of The Denver Post Wednesday, in which Klis says the Broncos will check in with Manning but believes they will likely stick with Tebow. That's probably more as a result of striking out on Manning, but as Freeman notes, maybe they're in play after all.

Or maybe the Seahawks (5) are the most aggressive team ... only they're going about it quietly. Albert Breer of the NFL Network reported they'd be the first team on the phone with Peyton Wednesday, and Peter King and Jim Trotter of Sports Illustrated both believe John Schneider and Pete Carroll would be in hot pursuit of Manning. It's interesting, as Doug Farrar of Shutdown Corner notes, because Schneider said at the combine that he wasn't interested in "passing camp" quarterbacks.

Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN named a couple additional teams as well. Most notably, he cited the Chiefs (6) as a suitor for Manning. They make a lot of sense. Schefter also listed the Titans (7) as a team that contacted Manning, but that goes contrary to what they said they'd do. Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean also reports that the Titans have not (6) had contact with Manning.

That's six teams, which is a lot. And yes, I'm ignoring the Titans. I'm also ignoring the Texans, who were already ruled out by King. So who are the other six teams?

Then there's a slew of cruddy teams that we should add off the bat: the Browns (8), the Bills (9) and the Jaguars (10) are all teams with quarterbacks. But they're also teams with quarterbacks who are not Peyton Manning. And if the respective GMs of those clubs didn't at least call and say "Hey, would he be interested in playing in our city for our team?" then they should be jailed for negligence.

So we need a pair of sleepers now. Let's rule out the rest of the AFC; for one reason or another, everyone has a quarterback. Let's also rule out the NFC East. We've already included the NFC West, sans the Rams. Only one team from the NFC South and the NFC North needs a quarterback.

So only two teams remain: the Vikings (11) and the Buccaneers (12). OK, Christian Ponder and Josh Freeman are both recent first-round picks, but this is Peyton Manning we're talking about. They'd be nuts not to at least inquire through backchannels if there was any possible interest.

If you think I missed someone, leave em in the comments. Or argue why your team deserves Manning.

For the hardcore NFL football fan, Twitter is necessary. Sometimes, it’s a necessary evil -- slogging through your timeline to read what some players are eating for lunch or trying to get through multiple RTs of fans who want a shout-out from their favorite NFL star can be quite tedious.

But there are players and executives who get the Twitter thing. Those who can put together a nice one-liner or turn a delicious phrase or break a bit of news. It’s a nice way for NFLers to communicate directly with fans and either inform them or make them laugh. In this day and age, Twitter is important (as much as any social media can truly be important).

That’s why, for the second-straight season, we’ve put together a Top Ten with a Twist list on the best NFL player/executive Twitter accounts. These people brighten our day 140 characters at a time, and since much of Twitter is tasteless swill, these are the people who keep us coming back for more. And that is something to RT about.

10. Shawn Andrews (@imshawnandrews): He was my No. 1 selection on last year’s list, but after he was released by the Giants in the offseason, Andrews is out of football. His Twitter account, though, remains look-worthy. If you’re a foodie, Andrews is for you, especially as he tries to appease the weight-watching angel on his shoulder while ignoring the devil who wants him to binge. Recent tweet: These Chick Fil A Chicken Strips In The Mall Taste Like They Been Dipped In A Lil Fish Grease!!! I Like It!!!!! ***Crunch***

9. John Elway (@johnelway): You’ve got to love it when the executive vice president of football operations for the Broncos breaks news on his Twitter account about team signings and coach hirings. Elway has been more transparent about his team’s front office moves than anybody I can remember, and doing it on Twitter is a really smart way to keep the lines of communications open with Broncos fans. His in-season account hasn’t been quite as entertaining as it was in the offseason, but still, give Elway credit. It has been a novel idea. Recent tweet: Tim's doing a great job leading our offense, coming through when we need him the most. He's a winner who gets better every day.

8. Darnell Dockett (@ddockett): The Cardinals defensive end is the definition of the athlete who just doesn’t give a crap what he says or how it might affect him in the future. Which is what makes his account awesome. His best Twitter moment of the year came when he did real-time play-by-play of a traffic stop. His topper, though, was when he refused to allow the police to search his car, and they simply had to let him go. Dockett can be offensive, but there’s little doubt he’s entertaining. Even if his obsession with hooking up with Oprah is a little disturbing. Recent tweet: I'm going to sleep I'm so tired! I'm gonna dream about @Oprah and them thick chocolate thighs tonight. We gonna get back together soon!

7. Greg Aiello (@gregaiello): A return to the top Twitter list for the NFL’s top PR spokesman. Aiello answers questions from fans in his brusque manner, and he saves scribes e-mail queries but releasing league statements directly to the masses. Plus, his mini-feuds with some scribes during the lockout were interesting to watch from afar, and his haikus are not to be missed. Recent tweet: No. Hemingway. RT @giantspathanlon: Haiku? RT @gregaiello: A man in a good mood as the sun also rises. RT beautiful sight as the sun rises!

6. Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay): You just won’t find an NFL owner who is so in touch with his fans (and maybe not an sports team owner anywhere outside Mark Cuban). Irsay is delightfully weird, posting deep album cut lyrics by classic rock bands, and he made multiple jokes about going after Brett Favre at the beginning of the year when it was clear Peyton Manning couldn’t play. Lately, he’s been less funny and more soothing to an upset fan base. That doesn’t make him any less delightful. Recent tweet: Woke up this morning,with an arrow thru my nose..there was an indian in the corner..trying on my clothes.... .He said "Get lost" and walked towards his Cadillac..and I chopped down that palm tree..and it landed on his back....” (editor’s note: it’s a Neil Young lyric)”

5. Chad Ochocinco (@ochocinco): The Patriots receiver was more fun when he was still a Bengals receiver, and he (we assume) wasn’t hemmed in by Bill Belichick. But he’s still funny and still outstanding to his fans. Somehow, during the worst season of his career, he’s become much more likeable. Recent tweet: I remember when @evelynlozada kicked me out of the house for cheating.......... She takes #Monopoly way to (f------) serious.

4. Faux John Madden (@fauxjohnmadden): For me, parody accounts are hit or miss. Mostly misses, actually. Faux John Madden hits much more than it misses, though. And when you’re crawling through your timeline on a lonely Friday night, that is much appreciated. Recent tweet: If you need something to keep you awake while watching this Falcons-Jaguars game.. Call Sam Hurd.

3. Jim Schwartz (@jschwartzlions): By far, the best NFL coach on Twitter (hell, off the top of my head, I can’t think of another coach who’s actually on Twitter). Mostly, he taps out updates of the Metallica songs he’s inputting into his head (or tweeting a picture of Raiders fans flipping him the bird), but you have to appreciate a guy who takes a little time out from watching film and game planning all day to remind us all what James Hetfield had to say in 1987. Recent tweet: #nowplaying on the way to Oakland stadium: Babylon AD "Bang Go the Bells", Metallica "Blackened", Deep Purple "Highway Star"

2. Chris Kluwe (@chriswarcraft): As his Twitter handle implies, the Vikings punter is big into role-playing games. So, you have to wade through some of that, but Kluwe makes his tweets so damn funny, it’s nearly impossible not to be entertained by his musings. He’s a guy who knows how to make great use of the hashtag. Recent tweet: Remember Saints fans, if you're planning on bringing feminine hygiene products to the game to throw at me, please ensure they are unused.

1. Arian Foster (@arianfoster): He’s not only one of the top running backs in the league, he’s also a Zen master on his Twitter account. Foster is one of the game’s most interesting thinkers, and his tweets aren’t the usual athletic bluster. They’re deep and interesting and funny. Which is why he’s the No. 1 NFL tweeter around. Recent tweet: I smile at our potential, but weep for our actions. May the light you see tonight fill your heart with what it needs. I love you all.

CBSSports.com's Xs and Os guru Andy Benoit then joins Will Brinson to break down the Week 6 games. They also touch on the Eagles' demise, why the Cover-2 is dying, whether the Falcons can bounce back, the second-best team in the NFC (Lions or Saints?), if the Bills can stay hot against the Giants, how many points we could see in the Cowboys-Patriots game and who's on the ol' hot seat.

And that's just the first 10 minutes (kidding, kidding). Either way, football chatting starts ... now.

The Arizona Cardinals have been an active participant in free agency and for good reason: the 2010 starting quarterbacks included Derek Anderson, John Skelton and Max Hall, a group that combined for 10 touchdowns, 18 interceptions, a 51 percent completion rate and five wins.

And in just a few days of practice, Kolb has has already made an impression on his teammates. Defensive tackle and alligator caretakerDarnell Dockett got right to the point.

"It's like night and day from last year," Dockett said, according to ESPN.com's Mike Sando. "I don't want to disrespect nobody, but I mean, he's good."

We suspect Anderson, Skelton and Hall wouldn't disagree.

"He's the leader, goes out there and gets the job done," Dockett said. "You can tell the last couple days when he wasn't practicing, he was just so anxious to get out here. That is what you want from a quarterback. You want a true leader that is going to get the ball there and lead the offense down the field, no matter what pressure -- just go ahead and get the job done."

But maybe for head coach Ken Whisenhunt, no price was too steep after watching Arizona's offense last season.

"I have been impressed with how he has handled himself, his demeanor," Whisenhunt said. "I think he'll quickly adapt and get better as we go, and that is exciting. He has the right makeup mentally and physically to be successful."

You know what might help Kolb get better sooner? A new (old) pass-catching weapon. PFT.com points us to recent comments from former Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner who, appearing on 620 KTAR, made the case for Arizona adding Randy Moss, who is quickly becoming the retired wide receiver equivalent to Brett Favre.

“I don’t think there’s any question he could help,” Warner said, via PFT. “I still think there’s something in the tank for Randy. . . . He has a great relationship with Larry Fitzgerald. That could be a huge plus coming to this organization. I think a deep threat is something that they need. They need somebody that can stretch the field. As good as Larry is, that’s not the player that he is.”

This went over spectacularly with those of us desperate for interesting NFL stories. But it didn't go over too well with the wonderful folks at animal-rights group PETA.

And they wrote Dockett a letter.

Naturally.

Dear Mr. Dockett,

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) was alerted this week to media reports indicating that you recently purchased a baby American alligator from the Florida Everglades and that you intend to keep him as a captive pet. Please know that Florida heavily regulates the keeping of alligators and that it's unlawful to keep an alligator as a pet anywhere in the state of Arizona without a special permit. These prohibitive laws and regulations exist because, in addition to posing a threat to public safety, wild animals suffer greatly in captivity.

Alligators in the wild roam freely with members of their own kind, travel long distances, and thrive in the rivers and lakes that they call home. When confined, wild animals will exhibit neurotic and self-destructive behaviors because of extreme boredom, stress, and frustration at being unable to engage in natural behaviors. Keeping an alligator as a pet is simply unfair to the animal. It also poses grave dangers to you and others. By their very nature, these animals are unpredictable and can inflict serious harm. Reptiles are also common carriers of salmonella. You would be held liable for any damage, injuries, or illnesses caused by the alligator.

Respectfully, we ask that you carefully consider this information. Please know that we stand ready to help find a suitable habitat for this animal. May we please hear that you will do the right thing?

Sincerely,

Michelle Cho

PETA

PETA does stuff like this pretty much any time a famous person gets near an animal; they're always looking for free publicity, and they usually pull off publicity stunts that are whacked out enough to warrant writing about. (Like the time they tried to get Phish to change their name to "Sea Kittens" in order to avoid harming actual fish, sigh.)

And they might have a point here, because alligators are wild animals and don't deserve to be all cooped up in a fancy house or be fed really nice food -- Dockett already said no snakes, only "Ruth Chris and Bob Evans pancakes!" -- or cared for by a personal "alligator butler" that Docket will probably hire.

There's a reasonable argument that no one's benefited more from the lockout than Eagles' quarterback Kevin Kolb.

Sure, he might be the starter for a team right now if the league weren't locked out, but his value's gone through the roof as teams have found themselves in need of capable signal callers and unable to make personnel moves.

Right off the bat, Patrick Peterson pops in my head for this, if only because he was initially considered a strong possibility as a draft-and-trade, and it would be pretty shocking if the Cards ended up handing a No. 5 overall pick for Kolb.

Other names that would qualify as a "surprise" include: Larry Fitzgerald (not happening), Darnell Dockett (the tweets would make it worth it), Alan Faneca (since he's, you know, retired), Beanie Wells (the Eagles don't need a running back and wait, what, he still has value?), and Max Hall (because that would be a bamboozling).

Realistically, Peterson is the only name that can shock at this point, but even that seems like a stretch, right?

But, hey, you never know, and if the Eagles have that deal in place, they have to take it. Especially since Mike Kafka's already got John Beck-like confidence coursing through his veins.

And it's probably going to end awesomely one way or another, either with Dockett getting in some kind of trouble and tweeting all the way to jail, or with Dockett posting the officers' badge numbers on Twitter.

Regardless, it's pretty clear that McNabb was wrong about the power of social media.

If we're going by the amount of money they can stuff into their respective man purses, Peyton's the big winner.

Manning, who ranks fourth on SI's list and first among NFL players, is set to make $23 million in salary (expected haul based on his 2011 contract) and $15 million in endorsements for a grand total of $38 million in 2011 earnings.

Brady ranks third among NFL players after Matt Ryan ($32M/$450K/$32.7M) and will pull down just $20 million plus a measly $10 million in endorsements.

Of course, Tom has three Super Bowl rings to Peyton's one. Oh, and he's also married to Gisele Bündchen, the highest-paid supermodel for seven years running who happens to be worth nearly ten figures.

But even if Brady loses points for, sigh, this -- or showing up in public looking like he just stepped off the set of Fantasy Island (lower left -- he was actually at the Kentucky Derby), or succumbing to Bieber Fever (lower right -- that was at a Celtics game) -- at the end of the day, he's still going home to Gisele. He could look like Vince Wilfork dressed up as Bill Belichick and he'd still be better off than every other man on the planet, including Peyton.

Remember what Plaxico Burress said recently about the Eli Manning-Mark Sanchez dynamic?

"Eli has won a championship, and the crazy thing about it is that Mark Sanchez almost gets more pub than the world champion quarterback," Burress said. "And I'm looking at it from afar. The man went out and led the organization to a Super Bowl, but for some reason I guess Mark Sanchez is supposed to be better than the guy that has already won one."